U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,531 B2 discloses a data recording tape passing along guides and past a read/write head. Sensors detect the position of the tape and adjust the guides and the head as a function of the position. If the tape deviates from the target tape path, a controller moves a guide to steer the tape back to the target tape path, using the sensor signals.
US 2008/0117543 A1 describes that data bands are becoming increasingly smaller and closer together in order to increase the data band density and thereby increase data capacity of a given tape. Hence, it has become desirable to place the longitudinal defined servo bands at various locations across the full width of the tape, separated by groups of data bands. This allows the servo bands to be close to the data bands and limits offsets due to tape stretch, etc. This also allows a greater number of bands to be employed due to the greater precision of the relationship between the servo bands and the data bands. In this context, a tape drive is described including a head with a first and a second servo read element configured to detect transition stripes of a servo pattern on tape media. The first servo read element is configured to detect at least two transition stripes of an even servo band on the tape media at a first time. The second servo read element is configured to detect at least two transition stripes of an odd servo band on the tape media at a second time, wherein the second time is a time delay after the first time corresponding to a distance. A timing of at least two transition stripes of the even and of the odd servo band on the tape media is detected. The head is positioned laterally with respect to the tape media in response to the timing of the at least two transition stripes of the even and the odd servo band on the tape media.